April 2010
19 posts
March 2010
11 posts
Jamie: Key 3 & Life
Key 3 Power Where power comes from is an important thing to consider. Especially when fossil fuels and geopolitical sources are involved the problem becomes life threatening. Urgency definitely fuels creativity. For the most part it keeps us from being lazy. An over abundance of urgency can wear people out though. It can make projects seem impossible and discourage development due to a seemingly...
Jamie: Key 1 & 2
Key 1 Away More seems like less by moving it far far away. The benefits of connecting to a larger mainframe are especially apparent when you think about the capacity a single computer has to run software and keep files on the hard drive. Being able to access programs via internet and keep files in a more unlimited space would allow the individual computers to use less RAM. This would allow for a...
Chrissy's Response: Life
“Technology and life only become complex if you let it be so.”
Boiling your life down to what is truly important to you is the ultimate act of simplicity. Society has created expectations that we are conditioned to strive for, and has us chasing after possesions that we feel we need to make us complete. Things have the ability to make life feel simplier, but when we really examine...
Chrissy's Response to Key 1, 2 + 3
Key 1: Away
“More appears like less by simply moving it far, far away.”
Moving something away creates the ”out of sight out of mind” mentality that appears to be simple. The idea of outsourcing work uses this principle. If a US company can hire workers in India to do the work for them at a lower price, and then turn around and sell the product of the work, it...
Chrissy's Response Laws 9 + 10
Law 9: Failure
“Somethings can never be made simple.”
Failure can be a good thing. It is through failure that we are able to learn from our mistakes and make improvements. Success would not exist without failure, much like simplicity would not exist without complexity. Polar opposites need each other to distinguish the differences between them. There are varying degrees of simplicity...
February 2010
8 posts
Chrissy's Response Laws 7 + 8
Law 7: Emotion
“More Emotions are Better than Less”
Simplicity can be considered ugly or cheap in some cases. In making things increasingly simplier, we are striping them of decoration, and ornament which can be seen as “layers of meaning”. There is a balance that must be maintained to avoid the loss of emotion. Striping something down to the bare minimum can make it seem...
Jamie: Laws 9 & 10
9. Speaking of failure is important to designers. They have to be open to failure in order to succeed. But in addition, I feel that it is important to teach failure as a means rather than an end. In my experience, some professors treat a poor design or failure as if it’s the only opportunity available. As if the single failure is a reflection of incompetence or incapability, and offer no...
Jamie: Laws 7 & 8 Response
7. The concept of ROE (return on emotion) is how I personally feel my designs are most successful. The investment of emotion is what brings my designs to the next level. When I work on things I strongly believe in, they become more of an expression of my experience. “More emotions are better than less” can be a fine line to walk also. Too much emotion appears unprofessional to many...
Chrissy Laws 5+6 Response
Law 5: Differences
“Simplicity and complexity need each other.”
Simplicity cannot be recognized if there is no complexity to compare it to. Contrast and comparison help us to identify our likes and dislikes. The key is to find the right balance between simplicity and complexity; a rhythm between differences. Differences have the ability to viewed as enhancements. Something that is...
Jamie: Laws 5 & 6 Response
5. The contrast between simplicity and complexity creates value. It seems like the more simple a complex device is, the more value it holds to the user. Usually, when things are invented, they are large and heavy with all their mechanical parts visible and naked. But when an inventor (or designer) is able to make the thing compact and small, with all it’s inner workings sort of tucked away,...
this is fun
it shows how this designer goes about his visuals for info graphics!
\http://www.flickr.com/photos/densitydesign/
January 2010
18 posts
An Interesting Article dealing with our issue:...
(CNN) — Most college students expect to receive their diplomas on the basis of grades, but at a Pennsylvania school, physical fitness matters too.
Students at Lincoln University with a body mass index of 30 or above, reflective of obesity, must take a fitness course that meets three hours per week. Those who are assigned to the class but do not complete it cannot graduate.
Now that the...
Questionnaire
Age:
Gender:
Class: How many times per week do you eat fast food? Cook meals?
How many energy drinks do you consume per week? Soda? Coffee? Water? How many hours of sleep do you get in an average week?
Do you drink alcohol? If so, how many times per week? Do you smoke cigarettes? How many per day?
Do you hold a job? If so, how many hours per week?
How many hours do you spend in class per...
Jaime: Laws 3&4 Response
Maeda addresses two key subjects in these chapters. Law 3 focuses on shortening wait time or making a wait more tolerable, while Law 4 focuses on using your brain to simplify all kinds of actions. I found these two laws relative to my beliefs on instant gratification and how some designs do not engage the user enough, which possible leads to less stimulation of the mind. The third law proves its...
Jamie: Laws 3 & 4 Response
It’s true that keeping a timer to show how much time remains until the continuance of something is essential to making people feel more comfortable. When there is no timer the infinite possibilities of time remaining grows every second, making us feel like we’re wasting our life away. And when things move along quickly we feel as though we are successfully and efficiently completing...
Chrissy's Response to Laws 3+4
Law 3: Time
“Savings in Time Feels Like Simplicity”
We spend most of our lives waiting for things to happen. We are waiting even when we aren’t fully aware of it; its the waiting we are aware of that causes us to become frustrated. To avoid the complications of waiting we always gravitate towards the quickest option available because we perceive this as being simpler. If...
+ Blog
found this one… things are simple but a good starting point. i think
http://www.coolinfographics.com/cool-posters/